FAQS FOR ENCHANTED JOURNEY OF LIGHT
The Enchanted Journey of Light
You enter the Fantasy Land building and walk along Christmassy scenes of polar bears and magical figures, of elves at work in Santa’s grotto, to the present wrapping machine. There is an opportunity to pause and grab a bite to eat in the Fantasy Land cafeteria, before going outdoors to the top meadow to see our Lantern Light Extravaganza, which is even bigger each year.
After this you might wish to stop at the Funfair (rides are not included in the price of the Enchanted Journey ticket and is run independently of Thursford).
Accessibility
Thursford is fully accessible; for full details see our Access Statement here.
Age range
- There is no maximum age for the Enchanted Journey of Light.
- Children aged 2 and under enter free of charge but must have a ticket booked for them.
Armed Forces Covenant
Thursford Enterprises are signatories of the Armed Forces Covenant, as such we offer regulars, reservists, veterans and their immediate military families a 10% discount on The Christmas Spectacular, Enchanted Journey of Light and Santa’s Magical Journey.
Eligibility: The discounted tickets for all events must be booked via the Box Office on 01328 878477, our phonelines are open Monday to Friday 09:00 – 16:00. If the tickets are booked on line, we are sorry, but we cannot add the discount.
To confirm eligibility for the 10% discount, Thursford will need to receive a copy of the Defence Discount Service card at the time of booking (Christmas Spectacular, Santa’s Magical Journey & the Enchanted Journey of Light)
In the event of cancellation, tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable. However, in the event the service person is posted at short notice either overseas or to an area outside the service provision we will refund the tickets if necessary. This is providing we are informed as soon as you are notified of any change of circumstances (so that we have an opportunity to resell the tickets). Prior to giving any refund we will need evidence of the posting and will accept the original call up letter with any sensitive information blocked out.
N.B By ‘Immediate’ we mean card holder, their partner and children.
Arrival
- Please be sure to turn up at the time printed on your ticket, latecomers cannot be guaranteed entry.
- When you arrive at the event your tickets will be checked, so please have them ready.
Booking
- Tickets can be purchased via the relevant booking links.
- Tickets cannot be bought on the day.
- Adding an extra ticket – we can always add an extra ticket to an existing booking, please call the Box Office on 01328 878477 as this cannot be done online. We will need to refer to your original booking so please have the booking reference number handy.
Booking On Line / Web Account
- Existing account: If you are an existing user, go into But Tickets click on the blue figure in the top right-hand corner, enter your e mail address and password.
- New Account: If you are a new customer select your tickets etc and then enter your details in the boxes then at the bottom of the page, click on Register.
- Passwords: If you have forgotten your password, go into Book Online, click on the blue person, you can reset your password via the pop-up box. Click on this link to reset your password. Once the link comes though, ignore the code box and enter a new password twice, click Continue, enter the new password again and then click on Log in.
- Your password should be made up of letters and numbers and whilst there is no requirement to include a symbol, the following are accepted: @ $ ! – % _* # ? &
Booking Protection – XCover
- XCover also known as refund protection covers your tickets so you can apply for a refund should you or anyone in your party be unable to attend the event (subject to Terms & Conditions being fulfilled).
- Refund protection is provided via a third-party company called XCover.com.
- Refund protection must be added at the time of booking and cannot be added once the booking has been paid.
- There is a 14-day cooling off period for this cover, so if you decide within the 14 days that the cover it is not for you, please call the Office on 01328 878477 and we will refund the payment to the original card.
- Outside this time frame we cannot action any refunds for the cover. For full Terms & Conditions or to make a claim please click here.
Cancellation
- Tickets to the event are advertised and sold as non-refundable and non-transferable, you agree to this at the time of booking.
- Follow the link to see the Terms & Conditions of sale.
- We suggest that you purchase refund protection provided by XCover at the time of booking to cover you in the event of unforeseen circumstances, please read their Terms & Conditions here. Note that this cover cannot be added after the booking has been confirmed.
Collection Rides
The Collection’s vintage rides (Carousel & Gondola) will not be running for the event.
Complaints
If you do have any complaints, please let us know on the day, there is always a manager on duty who can help. We would much rather that any issues are resolved on the day and both you and the children leave Thursford happy.
Dining
- We have three catering facilities including the cafeteria in the Fantasy Land building which will be open. The cafeteria closes between 30 minutes and an hour after the last entry (this is dependent on demand).
- We do not take any table reservations for our catering outlets as they are provided on a first come first serve basis. That said, you are highly likely to get a bite to eat as we are used to a high turnover of customers.
- Special diets, we cater for gluten free, nut allergies, vegan etc. Please phone our office on 01328 878 477 to find out more.
- Bringing your own food, we are sorry, but this is not possible, customers cannot consume their own food anywhere on the complex. An exception will be made for severe allergies and for other medical purposes providing it is agreed with a member of office staff prior to your visit. Please contact the office on 01328 878477 where we will be happy to assist.
Duration
It very much depends on you, but we would suggest that it takes approximately 1 – 1.5 hours to complete.
Entry Time
- The time slot that you have booked is the time that you must turn up to start the Enchanted Journey of Light.
- If you fail to turn up on time, we cannot guarantee entry.
- If you think you will be delayed, please call the Box Office so we can inform the team.
Essential Companion Tickets
- At the time of booking essential companions are entitled to a discounted ticket where they are accompanying a person who requires an essential companion, this is subject to availability and eligibility criteria, see following:
- Proof of eligibility must be provided of one of the following:
- Attendance Allowance
- PIPs/DLA at the higher / enhanced mobility rate
- Blind Person’s Registration
- Armed Forces Independence Payment
- Nimbus Access Card with +1 symbol (the Thursford Digital Pass will be accepted from 2025)
- These tickets can only be booked by calling the Box Office on 01328 878477.
- If tickets are not booked via the Box Office essential carer discounts will not be added retrospectively.
Note for 2025 season: As we endeavour to improve the booking experience for those who need an essential companion, for 2025 we will be partnering with Nimbus Disability and the Access card as the only form of evidence that we will require to book an essential companion ticket. We will update in advance of the 2025 season, in the meantime for more information please see: https://www.accesscard.online/how-it-works/
Fun Fair
The Fun Fair operates independently of the Thursford events.
It only opens, when the Enchanted Journey of Light & Santa’s Magical Journey are for sale on line.
As the Fun fair operates independently of Thursford there are occasions when the owner operators will decide to close, whilst this is rare, it is outside of Thursford’s control and no refund will be given if the Fun Fair is not open at the time of your visit.
Location
- We are well sign posted. Located 1 mile off the A148, halfway between Fakenham and Holt.
- Turn off at the Crawfish Inn Restaurant & Public House. Follow the brown and white tourist sign for the Thursford Collection.
- If you are using a form of GPS, then please use our address/postcode or What3words:
Thursford Collection
Thursford
Fakenham
Norfolk
NR21 0AS
What3words: //guards.settle.enchanted
Lost Property
We will store any lost property that we find for 30 days after the date it was found. Thereafter we will donate all items to charity.
Our crew clean the auditorium and the Fantasy Land building every night and any items that are found are brought to the office in the morning.
Parking
- There is a large, free car park on site.
- We have car park attendants to assist you on the day so if you need a disabled space or have another requirement.
- If you need a disabled space (limited in number and cannot be pre-booked) please speak to the attendant as you enter the car park, and they will direct you to the most suitable space. Please note there are no facilities on the car park.
- The car park is located on site and, depending on your ability will be roughly a 5-6 minute walk to reach the venue.
Payment
- Payment is preferred by debit or credit card. All our tills have card machine facilities.
- Please note we do not accept American Express.
Pets
Dogs / pets are not allowed beyond the car park, except for registered assistance animals.
Photography
- Photographs and / or video can be recorded along the journey, but not in Santa’s House as we offer professional photography packages.
Santa’s Magical Journey Event
Santa’s Magical Journey comprises of all the aspects of the Enchanted Journey of with the addition of a visit to see Santa and a gift for each (paying) child. For further information or to book select Santa’s Magical Journey from the blue banner.
Shops
We have gift (e.g. Christmas Gift, Toys, Food) shops on site which will be open during your visit.
Special Effects
There will be moderate flashing lights and sound effects, however no strobe lighting. Please contact us via [email protected] if you require any further information. On our Relaxed Day (see main website for this year’s date), sound and lighting will be adjusted as appropriate.
Tickets
- Tickets are emailed to the account address at the time of booking.
- If you receive a confirmation, then you should have received the tickets. If you cannot see them in the first instance, check your spam / junk and deleted folders before contacting the office. The tickets are sent from a ‘Do not reply’ address so may well have been automatically discarded.
- Each visitor must have a ticket to enter the Enchanted Journey of Light, and we will not accept a confirmation e mail in place of the authorised tickets.
- Tickets must also be booked for children aged 2 and under who enter FOC.
- Whilst you do not need to print off your tickets, we must be able to scan the bar code on each one. Please ensure that you download them before you arrive or take a screen shot of each one before you arrive as the WiFi signal is not strong at Thursford.
Venue
The event is experienced both inside the Fantasy Land building and outside in the high meadow (wide, secure walkways provided), please wear appropriate clothing for the prevailing weather as the event will not be cancelled if it is raining or snowing.
Walking aid/ mobility scooter/ wheelchair / pushchairs
You are very welcome to bring these with you, Thursford is fully accessible. The outdoor exhibits will have matting over any grass areas.
Weather
- Please come dressed for the weather (rain and cold) and wrap up warm with suitable footwear.
High Winds
- The Enchanted Journey of Light will not be cancelled if there is rain or snow, the only time we foresee having to cancel (or suspend) the experience is in the event of high winds which would make it unsafe for employees or customers to traverse the external section of the experience.
- If there are 48mph+ warnings for high winds in this part of Norfolk, please check our social media channels – Facebook and Instagram and our website (which will be updated as necessary throughout the day.
- If it is closed we will offer a refund (less transaction fee and insurance premiums) or an opportunity to return during the current season. Tickets cannot be carried over to the subsequent year.
Fun Fair
As the Fun Fair is not included in the price of the Enchanted Journey of Light and operates independently of Thursford events, if the operator judges it best to close for the safety of their employees and and visitors, no refunds will be given if it is not open during your visit.
Wheelchair Hire
Sorry, we do not have any wheelchairs for hire.
